Club 20, Routt leader vote to oppose Amendment 24

Another group representing communities in Colorado has come out against Amendment 24, the Citizens Growth Initiative.Club 20, which represents 22 Western Slope counties, including Routt, and two Native American tribes voted 14-4 to oppose Amendment 24.Routt County Commissioner Dan Ellison sits on the Club 20 board of directors which voted on the proposal."I voted to oppose it," Ellison said. "That's consistent with the position taken by the county commissioners."If passed in November, Amendment 24 would give residents the right to vote on whether they want specific developments in their communities. Developers and towns would be forced to create complex Growth Area Maps that explain to the voters what will happen with each development. The residents would then vote to approve it or not approve it.The Routt County commissioners oppose Amendment 24, saying zoning and planning is the job of elected officials. The commissioners say there is ample opportunity for residents to have input during the planning process.The commissioners have also placed their own initiative on the November ballot asking voters to opt out of Amendment 24 for four years.Any county with a population of less than 25,000 can decide for itself whether it has to follow Amendment 24 development rules.